Rehmannia, Sea Solomon's Seal and Ophiopogon Soup (Sheng Di Hai Yu Zhu Mai Dong Tang)

Why people make this soup

Thyroid imbalance is increasingly common, and it tends to show up in two opposite directions. An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) can cause symptoms like a racing heart, trembling hands, bulging or irritated eyes, throat tightness, and heat intolerance. An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) tends toward fatigue, puffiness, cold limbs, poor memory, and low vitality. While these conditions need proper medical management, Chinese food therapy has long offered a gentle complementary approach built around nourishing yin and clearing excess heat — a pattern that underlies both presentations, just to different degrees.

This soup is made from four classical yin-nourishing ingredients and is unusually versatile: Nourilo notes it is suitable whether the thyroid is overactive or underactive, because it addresses the underlying yin-deficiency pattern rather than pushing the balance in one particular direction.